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We're travelling across the country | 0:00:08 | 0:00:09 | |
and exposing some of Britain's worst building bodges. | 0:00:09 | 0:00:13 | |
They just left us in the lurch, in a big mess. | 0:00:13 | 0:00:16 | |
Cowboy builders ruin people's lives | 0:00:17 | 0:00:20 | |
and they could be in a town near you. | 0:00:20 | 0:00:22 | |
The biggest concern I had was the live, | 0:00:22 | 0:00:24 | |
active wires which were hanging down from the ceiling. | 0:00:24 | 0:00:27 | |
And with a little bit of help from our good guys, | 0:00:27 | 0:00:29 | |
we're going to turn those nightmare projects into dream dwellings. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:34 | |
You have your own house, and then to have something like this | 0:00:34 | 0:00:37 | |
done to it, it is very heart-wrenching, you know? | 0:00:37 | 0:00:41 | |
Remember, eyes and ears open and take on board all my top tips | 0:00:42 | 0:00:46 | |
in the hope that it will keep you out of the Cowboy Trap. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:49 | |
Today, Cowboy Trap has travelled north of the border, | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
to Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
Edinburgh is a World Heritage Site, boasting its own castle, | 0:01:05 | 0:01:09 | |
a Royal Mile and the National Gallery. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
It has its fair share of wonderful statues | 0:01:12 | 0:01:15 | |
with decoration added by the local birds. | 0:01:15 | 0:01:18 | |
Edinburgh has got everything you'd expect of a modern city | 0:01:18 | 0:01:22 | |
and much more. | 0:01:22 | 0:01:23 | |
It's got four universities, five theatres, | 0:01:23 | 0:01:26 | |
two football teams - Hearts and Hibs - | 0:01:26 | 0:01:28 | |
and it's even got two towns, an old one and a new one, | 0:01:28 | 0:01:32 | |
and a cracking castle as well. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:34 | |
But there's something else it's got... | 0:01:34 | 0:01:37 | |
the odd cowboy builder or two. | 0:01:37 | 0:01:38 | |
I'm here today to meet two unlucky victims of one of them. | 0:01:38 | 0:01:42 | |
Housewife Archana Goyal and her husband, Pankaj, | 0:01:42 | 0:01:46 | |
who works as a registrar at the local hospital. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:49 | |
Archana and Pankaj met in 2003 when they were still living in India. | 0:01:50 | 0:01:55 | |
I remember the very first date was... | 0:01:55 | 0:01:58 | |
I used to have a bike, and we went out.... | 0:01:58 | 0:02:03 | |
I went out to pick her up, | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
and that's how we had arranged to meet up, | 0:02:06 | 0:02:08 | |
and we went to a small restaurant. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:12 | |
'And then my parents went down to his house,' | 0:02:12 | 0:02:14 | |
just to meet his family, and his family said, | 0:02:14 | 0:02:18 | |
"No, no engagement, we want them married," and within three days, | 0:02:18 | 0:02:22 | |
we got married of... the parents meeting each other. | 0:02:22 | 0:02:25 | |
The Goyals moved to the UK so Pankaj could pursue his dream | 0:02:26 | 0:02:30 | |
of completing the diploma of membership | 0:02:30 | 0:02:33 | |
of the Royal College of Physicians. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:35 | |
Archana and Pankaj have two children - Rishi, 4, and Urvi, 6. | 0:02:35 | 0:02:40 | |
But it's been difficult for the Goyal family | 0:02:40 | 0:02:43 | |
to settle into a routine, | 0:02:43 | 0:02:44 | |
because Pankaj's medical training requires him | 0:02:44 | 0:02:47 | |
to travel all around the country. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:49 | |
The Goyals were concerned that their constant moving | 0:02:51 | 0:02:54 | |
was preventing their daughter from forging long-term friendships | 0:02:54 | 0:02:57 | |
and settling down into school life. | 0:02:57 | 0:03:00 | |
They decided it was high time they put their roots down | 0:03:00 | 0:03:03 | |
and set up a family home. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:04 | |
And they've lived in Edinburgh long enough | 0:03:04 | 0:03:06 | |
to realise that it's a great place to live. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
The Goyals started their house hunt in 2011, and it wasn't long before | 0:03:10 | 0:03:15 | |
they found a place they liked in the East Craigs district of Edinburgh. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:19 | |
They put in an offer which was accepted | 0:03:19 | 0:03:22 | |
and they finalised the purchase of their first home in November 2011. | 0:03:22 | 0:03:26 | |
We were all very excited, | 0:03:27 | 0:03:29 | |
because this was the first time we had bought our own house, | 0:03:29 | 0:03:33 | |
and there was a feeling of security, that my family will have a base. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:38 | |
You know what it's like when you buy a new property. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:40 | |
Your head is full of hopes and dreams for the future. | 0:03:40 | 0:03:43 | |
And not long after moving in, the Goyals decided | 0:03:43 | 0:03:46 | |
they wanted to completely refurbish the kitchen and bathroom. | 0:03:46 | 0:03:49 | |
They also wanted to overhaul the central heating system | 0:03:49 | 0:03:52 | |
and have a complete rewire too. | 0:03:52 | 0:03:54 | |
The improvements were basically meant to enhance | 0:03:54 | 0:03:57 | |
the quality of life for both ourselves and our kids. | 0:03:57 | 0:04:01 | |
Archana and Pankaj found a builder through an online service | 0:04:01 | 0:04:05 | |
and contacted him by email in late 2011, asking for a quote. | 0:04:05 | 0:04:10 | |
The builder was Polish and didn't speak great English, | 0:04:10 | 0:04:13 | |
but his assistant acted as a translator. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:16 | |
Archana was impressed by their demeanour and attention to detail. | 0:04:16 | 0:04:20 | |
He was rated highly by the reviews left on that website. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:26 | |
And he had his own website, which was quite presentable. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:30 | |
He sounded very promising. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:32 | |
And maybe because of the presentation of him - he was | 0:04:32 | 0:04:36 | |
wearing proper building clothes, not just formal clothes or something. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:40 | |
He looked as if he knew the job. So, he instilled some confidence in us. | 0:04:40 | 0:04:46 | |
Here's a tip. If you want to use the Internet to research builders, | 0:04:46 | 0:04:50 | |
be careful, be very careful. | 0:04:50 | 0:04:52 | |
Anyone can build a website. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:55 | |
Reviews and even photos can be fabricated. | 0:04:55 | 0:04:59 | |
Only use websites run by organisations | 0:04:59 | 0:05:02 | |
offering Assured Trader schemes. | 0:05:02 | 0:05:04 | |
And, if you do find a builder that way, still do your research. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:08 | |
Speak to previous clients and check the builder's work. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
Archana and Pankaj were quoted £8,500 to cover labour costs | 0:05:13 | 0:05:18 | |
and materials for the central heating and loft boarding. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:22 | |
It was proposed the Goyals would supply the materials | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
for the kitchen and bathroom refurbishments. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
The Goyals agreed, but then the builder dropped a bombshell | 0:05:28 | 0:05:33 | |
by demanding £5,500 before he started. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:36 | |
You know, I'm always suspicious | 0:05:36 | 0:05:38 | |
when a builder asks for a chunk of money up front | 0:05:38 | 0:05:40 | |
before the work has even begun. | 0:05:40 | 0:05:43 | |
Established and reputable tradesmen won't do this, | 0:05:43 | 0:05:46 | |
because they will have accounts with various builders' merchants. | 0:05:46 | 0:05:50 | |
If your builder hasn't got this arrangement, ask yourself why. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:54 | |
Better still, ask THEM why. | 0:05:54 | 0:05:56 | |
The pushy builder got his money, and work commenced. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:02 | |
But within a week, Archana was unhappy with the lack of progress. | 0:06:02 | 0:06:07 | |
They took quite a lot of breaks. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:09 | |
They were out smoking in the back garden. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:12 | |
They started leaving around 3:30, 4:00. | 0:06:12 | 0:06:15 | |
They would be out of my property by then. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:18 | |
The whole kitchen and under the stairs there, | 0:06:18 | 0:06:20 | |
it was full of their tools, | 0:06:20 | 0:06:22 | |
so there was no space for us to move or anything. | 0:06:22 | 0:06:25 | |
And, to be honest, because of that, | 0:06:25 | 0:06:27 | |
I really felt an outsider in my own house. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:30 | |
The Goyals also suspected | 0:06:30 | 0:06:32 | |
the builder didn't know what he was doing | 0:06:32 | 0:06:35 | |
when it came to fitting the new central heating boiler. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:38 | |
He kept looking at the handbook. | 0:06:38 | 0:06:40 | |
I questioned him, and he said he was certified back home, | 0:06:40 | 0:06:42 | |
but he was not certified in Scotland. | 0:06:42 | 0:06:46 | |
He was asking us questions, and we were querying him, | 0:06:46 | 0:06:49 | |
which he was not able to answer properly. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:52 | |
The builder was clearly a novice. | 0:06:53 | 0:06:55 | |
The Goyals' central heating was out of action for three weeks | 0:06:55 | 0:06:59 | |
in the middle of winter, | 0:06:59 | 0:07:01 | |
while he tried to work out how to fit the boiler. | 0:07:01 | 0:07:03 | |
During the main winter period of December and January, | 0:07:04 | 0:07:08 | |
the first two weeks, we didn't have any central heating. | 0:07:08 | 0:07:12 | |
And it wasn't only the boiler that caused consternation. | 0:07:12 | 0:07:15 | |
The builder then said he couldn't find the stopcock | 0:07:15 | 0:07:18 | |
to enable him to carry out the work on the plumbing. | 0:07:18 | 0:07:20 | |
So Archana called in a Scottish Water engineer. | 0:07:20 | 0:07:24 | |
The builder wasn't happy. | 0:07:24 | 0:07:26 | |
He said to me, "Why are you calling him now? | 0:07:26 | 0:07:29 | |
"We've been into the job three weeks. | 0:07:29 | 0:07:30 | |
"You should have called him before." | 0:07:30 | 0:07:32 | |
I said, "Before, you told us that you knew where the stopcock was. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:35 | |
"Now you've told me you don't know, | 0:07:35 | 0:07:37 | |
"so I'm just calling the engineer to help you out." | 0:07:37 | 0:07:39 | |
The engineer immediately pointed out the stopcock. | 0:07:39 | 0:07:42 | |
It was right outside the front door! | 0:07:42 | 0:07:45 | |
He says to me, "Mrs Goyal, if your plumber doesn't know | 0:07:45 | 0:07:49 | |
"where the stopcock is, it's time to change the plumber." | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
You know, the Goyals' build was becoming a farce, | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
and the builder's behaviour was becoming a joke. | 0:07:56 | 0:07:58 | |
In fact, he would have been better off | 0:07:58 | 0:08:00 | |
playing it for laughs at the Edinburgh Fringe. | 0:08:00 | 0:08:02 | |
But the Goyals did not see the funny side of it. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
After all, they had paid him almost £5,500, | 0:08:04 | 0:08:07 | |
and the job was still far from done. | 0:08:07 | 0:08:10 | |
Everything come to a head in mid-January, | 0:08:10 | 0:08:12 | |
when the builder and his assistant demanded more money. | 0:08:12 | 0:08:16 | |
They claimed they needed a further £1,000 for labour costs, | 0:08:16 | 0:08:20 | |
but Pankaj refused to pay until he was provided | 0:08:20 | 0:08:23 | |
with a Gas Safe Certificate for the works carried out | 0:08:23 | 0:08:25 | |
on the central heating. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:28 | |
He was quite angry, | 0:08:28 | 0:08:29 | |
he was pressurising us, saying, No, no, | 0:08:29 | 0:08:32 | |
we need to pay the money, we owe him the money. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:35 | |
I started shaking, because he was loud, he was aggressive, | 0:08:35 | 0:08:38 | |
there was no way we could even communicate with him. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:41 | |
It was quite threatening, because he was quite a big guy, | 0:08:41 | 0:08:43 | |
and there were three of them in the house, | 0:08:43 | 0:08:46 | |
and I said, "I'm not paying you any more money | 0:08:46 | 0:08:48 | |
"till you finish all these jobs | 0:08:48 | 0:08:51 | |
"and at least give me the gas certificate." | 0:08:51 | 0:08:54 | |
They said, "We are taking our tools." | 0:08:54 | 0:08:56 | |
I said, "Just let them go, Pankaj, | 0:08:56 | 0:08:58 | |
"just let them go." | 0:08:58 | 0:08:59 | |
On the way out, this scoundrel played | 0:09:00 | 0:09:03 | |
a really dirty trick on the Goyal family. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
He was so, so mean. | 0:09:06 | 0:09:08 | |
He actually came back, disconnected my cooker, | 0:09:08 | 0:09:10 | |
I was upstairs, and he went out shouting, | 0:09:10 | 0:09:13 | |
"Cooker, cooker, that's all they want, cooker!" | 0:09:13 | 0:09:16 | |
Not surprisingly, Archana was traumatised by what had happened. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:20 | |
I've gone through a lot of anxiety, | 0:09:20 | 0:09:24 | |
I've had periods of stress... | 0:09:24 | 0:09:27 | |
For quite a few days, I would not leave my children out of sight, | 0:09:27 | 0:09:31 | |
I was following them everywhere and I felt very threatened | 0:09:31 | 0:09:35 | |
that they should come back. | 0:09:35 | 0:09:37 | |
It's not surprising Archana felt so stressed - | 0:09:37 | 0:09:40 | |
how could she cook for her two young children | 0:09:40 | 0:09:42 | |
with her old cooker ripped out and the new one disconnected? | 0:09:42 | 0:09:46 | |
To make matters worse, her house looked like a building site, | 0:09:46 | 0:09:50 | |
with unfinished work and materials lying everywhere. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:54 | |
The dream was becoming a nightmare, no doubt about it - | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
we were hoping to create a small family house | 0:09:57 | 0:10:02 | |
where kids are happy | 0:10:02 | 0:10:05 | |
and have their own room. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:07 | |
To have your own house and then to have something like this | 0:10:07 | 0:10:10 | |
done to it, it's very heart-wrenching. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:16 | |
After the builder left, Mrs Goyal was understandably concerned | 0:10:16 | 0:10:20 | |
about the quality of the work, | 0:10:20 | 0:10:21 | |
so she called in a qualified electrician | 0:10:21 | 0:10:24 | |
to conduct an Electrical Installation Condition Report, | 0:10:24 | 0:10:27 | |
and the results were quite shocking. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
The electrics report, which was given to me, | 0:10:30 | 0:10:34 | |
states the house as dangerous, all the electric work as dangerous. | 0:10:34 | 0:10:38 | |
The biggest concern I had was the live electric wires | 0:10:38 | 0:10:41 | |
which were hanging around from the ceiling as well | 0:10:41 | 0:10:44 | |
as the switches were hanging, they were not even fixed to the wall. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:49 | |
Archana also arranged for an official gas work inspection. | 0:10:50 | 0:10:54 | |
It turned out the builder wasn't registered with Gas Safe, | 0:10:54 | 0:10:58 | |
so the work he'd carried out was illegal. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:01 | |
The inspector said the boiler was potentially lethal | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
and should not be used. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:06 | |
What was happening was whenever the boiler was switched on, | 0:11:06 | 0:11:08 | |
the immersion gases were coming back into the house. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:11 | |
I've come across enough cowboy builders in my time | 0:11:12 | 0:11:15 | |
to realise that they don't just mess with your property, | 0:11:15 | 0:11:17 | |
they mess with your head too. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
And in this case, the Goyals have lost all confidence | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
in ever finding a trustworthy builder again, | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
but I'm going to reinstate that confidence, | 0:11:25 | 0:11:27 | |
because we're going to get good guys in, that are local, | 0:11:27 | 0:11:30 | |
to put this job right, but before then, I need to find out more | 0:11:30 | 0:11:34 | |
of how they got into this mess in the first place. | 0:11:34 | 0:11:37 | |
-Aha! -Hi, Clive. | 0:11:45 | 0:11:47 | |
-You must be the Goyals. -Yeah. -Hi, I'm Clive. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:49 | |
-Now, I hear you've had problems with cowboy builders. -Yes. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:52 | |
So I hope you don't mind, you're going to be Goyals on film, | 0:11:52 | 0:11:55 | |
if that's all right? Do you mind showing me around, the problems? | 0:11:55 | 0:11:58 | |
-Please come in. -Let's have a look. -Please. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:01 | |
'I'll catch up with Archana and Pankaj later. | 0:12:02 | 0:12:05 | |
'Meanwhile, I'm going to investigate the disaster zone.' | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
Oh, yeah! | 0:12:08 | 0:12:10 | |
Well, looking at this, straightaway, | 0:12:10 | 0:12:13 | |
the first thing that hits me coming into the kitchen is the disruption. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:17 | |
How can Archana prepare meals in here, with junk all over the place? | 0:12:17 | 0:12:22 | |
Kitchen carcasses, cabinets, shelving units... | 0:12:22 | 0:12:26 | |
this is a prime example of how a cowboy builder | 0:12:26 | 0:12:29 | |
can wreak havoc in your home. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:31 | |
The first thing that comes to mind is the electrical safety aspect, | 0:12:33 | 0:12:37 | |
and where the downlighters are, we've got cables popping through, | 0:12:37 | 0:12:41 | |
and I'm hoping, hoping, | 0:12:41 | 0:12:44 | |
that these aren't live, | 0:12:44 | 0:12:46 | |
because I don't know if you can see there, | 0:12:46 | 0:12:48 | |
but there's actually cable, | 0:12:48 | 0:12:50 | |
there's certainly tips of bare copper there. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:53 | |
This is a little power tracer pen - | 0:12:53 | 0:12:55 | |
all it does is it tells me whether there is actually live voltage | 0:12:55 | 0:12:59 | |
going through those cables, so let's check it out. | 0:12:59 | 0:13:02 | |
If it lights up red... | 0:13:02 | 0:13:04 | |
Ah! Which it has, | 0:13:06 | 0:13:08 | |
it's clearly red, | 0:13:08 | 0:13:10 | |
so that tells me that there is live...those cables are live. | 0:13:10 | 0:13:14 | |
Now, they're hanging down in three of the four holes | 0:13:14 | 0:13:19 | |
that have been cut away for downlighters, | 0:13:19 | 0:13:21 | |
and I would imagine that some of these cables | 0:13:21 | 0:13:23 | |
that have been turned back in on themselves | 0:13:23 | 0:13:25 | |
are also in the same sort of condition. | 0:13:25 | 0:13:28 | |
This needs addressing and it needs addressing fast - | 0:13:28 | 0:13:31 | |
it's not a way to be leaving a kitchen. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:34 | |
From dangerous voltage to absolutely revolting. | 0:13:34 | 0:13:38 | |
The pipe from the toilet hasn't been boxed in - | 0:13:38 | 0:13:41 | |
it goes straight down the kitchen wall. | 0:13:41 | 0:13:43 | |
Yuck! | 0:13:43 | 0:13:45 | |
I want to get out of this kitchen calamity as soon as possible. | 0:13:45 | 0:13:49 | |
My next port of call, the fuse box. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
This is a 1950s house - | 0:13:53 | 0:13:55 | |
if the builder hasn't changed the fuse board | 0:13:55 | 0:13:57 | |
to handle all this new wiring, we've got a problem. | 0:13:57 | 0:14:01 | |
Look at that, that's a really old board. | 0:14:03 | 0:14:05 | |
I reckon this was the one they've bought off Noah's boat sale. | 0:14:05 | 0:14:10 | |
You see there? They're all rewirable cartridges. | 0:14:10 | 0:14:13 | |
What they've got inside are these little pieces of fuse wire. | 0:14:13 | 0:14:16 | |
And these days, the stresses and strains on electricity, | 0:14:16 | 0:14:19 | |
because there's more demand, you've got big freezers, | 0:14:19 | 0:14:22 | |
you've got big tellys, more lighting, etc, etc, | 0:14:22 | 0:14:25 | |
this is way outdated and needs updating to proper breakers, | 0:14:25 | 0:14:28 | |
and, of course, | 0:14:28 | 0:14:30 | |
17th edition regulations it needs to meet as well. | 0:14:30 | 0:14:32 | |
So that is definitely going. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:36 | |
So far, so bad. Time to check out the bathroom. | 0:14:36 | 0:14:43 | |
Cables again down here - there's loads of 'em. | 0:14:43 | 0:14:45 | |
You know, this here is flexible ducting | 0:14:45 | 0:14:48 | |
and that's been designed, I would imagine, | 0:14:48 | 0:14:51 | |
for the extractor fan, a ceiling extractor to go in there, | 0:14:51 | 0:14:56 | |
but I'd like to know where that is actually ending up, | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
because you get loads of them. Loads of these cowboy builders | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
will just terminate them into the loft space, | 0:15:01 | 0:15:04 | |
without actually venting them outside. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:06 | |
And the venting in the loft space is a disaster. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:10 | |
I'm not going to set foot into the loft, | 0:15:10 | 0:15:12 | |
because I'll end up going through the ceiling, | 0:15:12 | 0:15:14 | |
and that's the last thing the Goyals need, the pickle they're in. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:19 | |
And it's about to get worse. When it comes to central heating, | 0:15:19 | 0:15:22 | |
a proper engineer uses either microbore or 15 ml pipes - | 0:15:22 | 0:15:27 | |
he doesn't weld different diameter pipes together... | 0:15:27 | 0:15:31 | |
but this guy has. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:32 | |
Originally, it would have been microbore in this property, | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
and what he's done, he's then put a bit of 15 on, | 0:15:35 | 0:15:40 | |
and it's at these junctions here, | 0:15:40 | 0:15:41 | |
where you're going to get lots of problems | 0:15:41 | 0:15:43 | |
with it furring up. You're going to have to keep putting in | 0:15:43 | 0:15:47 | |
a particular chemical to keep these pipes clean. | 0:15:47 | 0:15:50 | |
It's not clever. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:54 | |
'I've seen enough. | 0:15:54 | 0:15:55 | |
'Now I want to find out what it's been like for Archana and Pankaj, | 0:15:55 | 0:16:00 | |
'seeing their dream renovation fall apart.' | 0:16:00 | 0:16:04 | |
The anxiety is very deep. No denying. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:06 | |
It's not about, actually, the poor building work that they do, | 0:16:06 | 0:16:13 | |
it's actually how they affect you as people. | 0:16:13 | 0:16:15 | |
We started blaming each other, also, | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
and the worst is when you have a builder come in, | 0:16:18 | 0:16:20 | |
and he says to you, "It's all your fault," | 0:16:20 | 0:16:22 | |
you feel so bad inside, because | 0:16:22 | 0:16:25 | |
nobody wants to be in a position like this. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:27 | |
We didn't have any family, no friends to rely on, | 0:16:27 | 0:16:31 | |
nobody to say, "Hey, bro, can you come and help me fix my thing?" | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
or "Can you come and give us support?" We didn't have anybody. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:37 | |
We're all, you know, sincere, hard-working families... | 0:16:37 | 0:16:41 | |
nobody deserves it. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:43 | |
'No kidding, but at last the Goyals' luck has changed.' | 0:16:43 | 0:16:47 | |
We want to make you smile again, and no more tears. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:52 | |
-Sorry! -No more tears - we don't want any more tears, you understand? | 0:16:52 | 0:16:56 | |
Wipe them away, so that they're gone for good, all right? | 0:16:56 | 0:17:00 | |
-Apart from tears of joy - this is what we want, tears of joy. -Yeah. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:04 | |
-Is that OK? -Yeah, yeah. -What would you like us to do? | 0:17:04 | 0:17:07 | |
What would you like us to do? | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
We are predominantly looking at the kitchen and the bathroom, | 0:17:09 | 0:17:12 | |
if you could help us to get it refurbished. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:16 | |
A habitable kitchen | 0:17:16 | 0:17:17 | |
and a bathroom that doesn't look like a building site. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:20 | |
Not too much to ask for after you've forked out over £5,500, is it? | 0:17:20 | 0:17:25 | |
I can't wait for the good guys to put this right. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:29 | |
But first, I want to hear the thoughts | 0:17:29 | 0:17:31 | |
of independent building surveyor Ken Donald. | 0:17:31 | 0:17:35 | |
What is your opinion on what you've seen and what the problems are? | 0:17:35 | 0:17:39 | |
The first reaction to coming in here is astonishment | 0:17:39 | 0:17:43 | |
at the debris...or the construction materials that are lying around, | 0:17:43 | 0:17:47 | |
and I understand that it's been like this for a number of months. | 0:17:47 | 0:17:51 | |
'That astonishment turns to horror | 0:17:51 | 0:17:54 | |
'when one looks at the electrical installation | 0:17:54 | 0:17:56 | |
'and the loose ends and the uneven work that's been done,' | 0:17:56 | 0:18:01 | |
and you start worrying seriously about the safety | 0:18:01 | 0:18:04 | |
of the occupants in that situation. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:07 | |
Not just in here, in the kitchen, but in the bathroom as well. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:09 | |
I always ask you guys for a mark out of 10, | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
so I need a mark out of 10, Ken, if you don't mind. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:16 | |
I can't give this more than 1 out of 10, Clive. | 0:18:16 | 0:18:18 | |
1 out of 10? You know what, I think that's generous. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:20 | |
I've got to be honest, I think 1 out of 10's generous. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:23 | |
-Safety is the paramount consideration... -Of course. | 0:18:23 | 0:18:26 | |
..and the builder left this in a very unsafe condition. | 0:18:26 | 0:18:29 | |
'Ken's nailed it. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:31 | |
'Safety comes first, especially with kiddies about. | 0:18:31 | 0:18:34 | |
'I dread to think what could have happened if we hadn't got involved.' | 0:18:34 | 0:18:39 | |
It's now time for me to cordon off this area, | 0:18:39 | 0:18:42 | |
declare it a disaster zone, and only myself and the good guy builders | 0:18:42 | 0:18:46 | |
can get past this Cowboy Trap tape. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:48 | |
'And hey presto, here they are. | 0:18:49 | 0:18:51 | |
'Local builder Bruce Collie and his Collie Squad. | 0:18:52 | 0:18:57 | |
'And I've got one simple question for the big man... | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
'I cannae wait to ask him.' | 0:19:01 | 0:19:04 | |
Just tell me what your plan is to put things right | 0:19:04 | 0:19:07 | |
and get their dream back on track. | 0:19:07 | 0:19:09 | |
We'll strip out all the electrics, | 0:19:09 | 0:19:11 | |
-put a new complete ring circuit in the kitchen. -OK. | 0:19:11 | 0:19:14 | |
We'll run it back to the new board, | 0:19:14 | 0:19:16 | |
-17th edition board, consumer unit. -Yes. -And everything'll be tested. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:20 | |
We can have a safety inspection certificate as well, can't we? | 0:19:22 | 0:19:25 | |
Oh, yes, everything gets tested and you have the certificate. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:29 | |
The next thing is the heating. Unfortunately, | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
they've run pipes in behind a plastered wall, | 0:19:32 | 0:19:34 | |
no coverings over that whatsoever. | 0:19:34 | 0:19:36 | |
Bruce and his boys have to sort the bodged bathroom too, | 0:19:36 | 0:19:41 | |
so the Goyals are chipping in to help get it done. | 0:19:41 | 0:19:45 | |
They haven't been able to have a shower for six months in there, | 0:19:45 | 0:19:48 | |
which is incredible, when you think about it, a family of four. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:51 | |
-Oh, yes, absolutely. -It's just hard to comprehend. | 0:19:51 | 0:19:54 | |
How long do you think it's going to take you to do that job, Bruce? | 0:19:54 | 0:19:57 | |
We're looking for our team to complete this within two weeks. | 0:19:57 | 0:20:00 | |
A fortnight to fix this? I cannae believe it! | 0:20:01 | 0:20:06 | |
Can Bruce produce the renovation of the Goyals' dreams? | 0:20:06 | 0:20:10 | |
Only time will tell. | 0:20:10 | 0:20:13 | |
I'm back in Edinburgh, | 0:20:19 | 0:20:21 | |
where the Goyal family's dream of setting up home | 0:20:21 | 0:20:24 | |
was left in chaos by a cowboy builder, | 0:20:24 | 0:20:26 | |
who left their home looking like a building site. | 0:20:26 | 0:20:31 | |
Archana and Pankaj found their Polish builder | 0:20:31 | 0:20:33 | |
on the Internet, but it was a case of from Warsaw to eyesore, | 0:20:33 | 0:20:38 | |
but our good guys sprang into action, | 0:20:38 | 0:20:40 | |
and I've come to see if they've saved the day. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:43 | |
The Goyals have given me access all areas | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
as I take a sneaky peek at our fella's handiwork. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:50 | |
Oh, I tell you what, before I go inside, | 0:20:53 | 0:20:55 | |
have they replaced the fuse board? | 0:20:55 | 0:20:59 | |
Oh, yes, look at that! Now, I can get excited about fuse boards - | 0:20:59 | 0:21:03 | |
I understand if you don't - but that is vital to this house. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:07 | |
Loving that! | 0:21:07 | 0:21:09 | |
I nearly blew my fuse when I saw the dangerous electrics | 0:21:09 | 0:21:12 | |
the cowboy left behind, but now, | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
my karma is much calmer. See what I did there? | 0:21:15 | 0:21:18 | |
Hey, French doors are on. Simple again, but ooh, la, la! | 0:21:19 | 0:21:23 | |
It looks so different in here. I tell you what, it's amazing. | 0:21:23 | 0:21:27 | |
The first thing that jumps out at me is, | 0:21:27 | 0:21:29 | |
you remember that soil pipe that was just exposed there? | 0:21:29 | 0:21:32 | |
That's been encased behind these wonderful carcasses and doors, | 0:21:32 | 0:21:36 | |
great kitchen cabinets - it looks so fantastic. | 0:21:36 | 0:21:39 | |
You've got laminate floors, skirtings on, | 0:21:39 | 0:21:42 | |
walls are painted, great downlights, | 0:21:42 | 0:21:44 | |
you've got lovely LED, uber-modern, | 0:21:44 | 0:21:46 | |
and then a great centre fitting too. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:49 | |
It just looks spanking! | 0:21:49 | 0:21:50 | |
Now, the thing is as well, Archie can now move around in here | 0:21:50 | 0:21:53 | |
and cook as she likes, invite guests in, | 0:21:53 | 0:21:56 | |
great place for the kids to be, and I think | 0:21:56 | 0:21:59 | |
very important is, I've already spoken about the fuse board, | 0:21:59 | 0:22:02 | |
so the electrics have been done, loving that, | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
the fact that they're safe really excites me, | 0:22:05 | 0:22:07 | |
and I've got to tell you, right now, | 0:22:07 | 0:22:09 | |
this is the proverbial chalk and cheese. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:14 | |
Yes! What a difference a skilled builder makes! | 0:22:14 | 0:22:18 | |
Now on to the bathroom. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:20 | |
This suite is sweet! | 0:22:20 | 0:22:24 | |
It's hard to describe, you know, | 0:22:24 | 0:22:27 | |
I always get...my breath gets taken away when... | 0:22:27 | 0:22:31 | |
you've left behind an awful bathroom | 0:22:31 | 0:22:34 | |
and now you see this, it's so uber-modern. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:37 | |
Just loving the spa bath... | 0:22:37 | 0:22:42 | |
the units, fan in place, | 0:22:42 | 0:22:44 | |
great downlights, wonderful shower. | 0:22:44 | 0:22:47 | |
Flooring, walls... | 0:22:47 | 0:22:49 | |
..loving the detail behind the shower as well, | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
and I've got to be honest with you, I need to press the button. | 0:22:54 | 0:22:58 | |
Relaxez-vous. | 0:23:01 | 0:23:03 | |
A Jacuzzi in a bath. Now THAT'S bubble-icious! | 0:23:03 | 0:23:08 | |
But do I not like the devastation our cowboy caused? | 0:23:08 | 0:23:12 | |
Look at what it was like before our fellas stepped in! | 0:23:12 | 0:23:15 | |
We've gone to considerable lengths | 0:23:17 | 0:23:19 | |
to give the cowboy a right to reply, | 0:23:19 | 0:23:20 | |
so we can hear his side of the story. | 0:23:20 | 0:23:23 | |
But he hasn't responded to any of our phone calls or letters. | 0:23:23 | 0:23:27 | |
I want to hear the Goyals' thoughts on this, | 0:23:27 | 0:23:30 | |
before I show them their new kitchen and bathroom. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:33 | |
How do you feel about that, the fact that he hasn't come back? | 0:23:33 | 0:23:37 | |
I'm not surprised, because the way he left my house that day, | 0:23:37 | 0:23:41 | |
because he knew there was electrical work happening next week, | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
he just ran on the Saturday before. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
So not surprised at all. You saw it for yourself, it was a mess. | 0:23:47 | 0:23:53 | |
A mess is putting it mildly, | 0:23:53 | 0:23:55 | |
and the real worry is that this cowboy is still out there. | 0:23:55 | 0:24:00 | |
His website is still alive | 0:24:00 | 0:24:02 | |
and it still claims all the good things he can do | 0:24:02 | 0:24:05 | |
and it has lovely pictures of bathrooms and kitchens etc, | 0:24:05 | 0:24:09 | |
and he's still got his profile on the website | 0:24:09 | 0:24:14 | |
from where we hired him, and it's not down, | 0:24:14 | 0:24:17 | |
it's not been taken down or anything. | 0:24:17 | 0:24:19 | |
I can't emphasise it enough - use the web if you must, | 0:24:19 | 0:24:23 | |
but if you want to avoid this kind of catastrophe, | 0:24:23 | 0:24:26 | |
do your background research. | 0:24:26 | 0:24:28 | |
The Goyals learned their lesson the hard way, | 0:24:28 | 0:24:31 | |
but now it's my opportunity to give them something to smile about, | 0:24:31 | 0:24:34 | |
and I can't wait! | 0:24:34 | 0:24:37 | |
What I want to do is to take you on a grand tour if you like. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:41 | |
-How excited are you about that? -Oh, we're very excited. | 0:24:41 | 0:24:45 | |
We want to be back... We want our house as a home again. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:49 | |
Exactly, because you enjoy cooking so much as well, | 0:24:49 | 0:24:52 | |
you want a nice kitchen to be able to work in and show off. | 0:24:52 | 0:24:56 | |
First, I want to show Archie and Pankaj | 0:24:56 | 0:24:59 | |
their new state-of-the-art bathroom. | 0:24:59 | 0:25:02 | |
It was an eyesore - it's now a sight for sore eyes. | 0:25:02 | 0:25:07 | |
-Are you ready? -Yes. -Yes. -Let's go. | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
Go in. Ta-da! | 0:25:11 | 0:25:13 | |
Oh, wow! | 0:25:13 | 0:25:16 | |
-Oh. -This is amazing. | 0:25:16 | 0:25:19 | |
-What a difference! -Yes, it is. Incredulous. | 0:25:19 | 0:25:23 | |
It's just superb. I mean, compared to what it was before... | 0:25:23 | 0:25:27 | |
It doesn't feel like mine - it's as if I've gone on holiday! | 0:25:27 | 0:25:32 | |
-So just looking around and loving the units... -Yeah. | 0:25:32 | 0:25:34 | |
-Of course, you're loving the... -I'm just waiting to try it. | 0:25:34 | 0:25:38 | |
Well, you will wait till we've gone, won't you? | 0:25:38 | 0:25:41 | |
-Yeah. -Of course, beautiful shower too. -Yes. | 0:25:41 | 0:25:44 | |
-The whole thing, what do you think, Pankaj? -Oh, it's excellent. | 0:25:44 | 0:25:47 | |
They have done the place completely. | 0:25:47 | 0:25:50 | |
They've really used the material very well. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:54 | |
It's fantastic, it looks great. | 0:25:54 | 0:25:56 | |
-Press that middle button. -Wow! | 0:25:56 | 0:25:59 | |
I think the kids will be just amazed. | 0:25:59 | 0:26:04 | |
The kids! You mean, you! | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
-You're going to love that. Absolutely. -Yes. | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
-It really does look a million dollars now, doesn't it? -Yes. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:13 | |
There's no doubt about it. | 0:26:13 | 0:26:15 | |
So the bathroom gets the thumbs up, | 0:26:15 | 0:26:18 | |
but how will the new kitchen go down? | 0:26:18 | 0:26:21 | |
Come and check this baby out. | 0:26:21 | 0:26:25 | |
Wow! | 0:26:25 | 0:26:27 | |
It was literally falling off. Wow! | 0:26:29 | 0:26:32 | |
-It's lovely. -That's fantastic. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:36 | |
Is this now a working kitchen that you could really enjoy being in? | 0:26:36 | 0:26:42 | |
It'll be a pleasure to be... It is a pleasure. | 0:26:42 | 0:26:45 | |
Look at it. It's just amazing. I'm loving the units, | 0:26:45 | 0:26:49 | |
-the cooker, hood, everything looks so clean, great floor now... -Yeah. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:54 | |
-..all the walls, the lights, everything in. -Yes. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
Is it everything you dreamed of? | 0:26:57 | 0:26:59 | |
-Yes, I think that's how we visualised it, yes. -Yeah. | 0:26:59 | 0:27:02 | |
And it's great to see, you know, | 0:27:02 | 0:27:05 | |
-all the material we put in as you dreamed of it. -Yeah. -It's amazing. | 0:27:05 | 0:27:09 | |
Now, the thing is, it's not just about what you can see - | 0:27:09 | 0:27:12 | |
on this occasion, it's about what you can't see. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:15 | |
Obviously, all your pipework that you wanted to be | 0:27:15 | 0:27:18 | |
put back in 15 ml, that's all now in, in copper, | 0:27:18 | 0:27:22 | |
your electrics, being sorted, it just looks amazing on the outside, | 0:27:22 | 0:27:27 | |
and all the things that are on the inside are so functional as well, | 0:27:27 | 0:27:31 | |
-that you can't see, but are benefiting you. -That's true. | 0:27:31 | 0:27:34 | |
That puts our mind at ease, and we can relax and enjoy our lives. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:39 | |
-Happy Archie? -Very. Indeed. Very. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:43 | |
Yes, it's fantastic, it couldn't be better. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:45 | |
-It's been lovely to meet you. -Thanks, Clive. | 0:27:45 | 0:27:47 | |
-Absolute pleasure. -Yes. | 0:27:47 | 0:27:48 | |
-I'll leave you to have a look around. -Thanks. -See you again soon. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:51 | |
Bye now. Cheers, guys! | 0:27:51 | 0:27:53 | |
'What a top couple | 0:27:53 | 0:27:54 | |
'and what a fantastic result! I'm on cloud nine, I can tell ya!' | 0:27:54 | 0:27:58 | |
There's another happy ending to a villainous Cowboy Trap tale, | 0:27:59 | 0:28:04 | |
and the Goyals' dream is now well and truly back on track. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
And remember, the good guys are out there, | 0:28:07 | 0:28:10 | |
you've just got to do your research. And as for those cowboy builders, | 0:28:10 | 0:28:13 | |
look out, because we're on your trail! | 0:28:13 | 0:28:16 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:28:30 | 0:28:31 |